Inking

When drawing, ink is commonly used as a strategic learning tool as it requires us artists to think through our choices and become more aware of what we put down on paper. This means that we don’t have an opportunity to play around with, erase, or change the marks we’ve made. It is suggested that you use waterproof inks.

More on Dip Pens.

Fine Liners

Fine liners are considered to be an artists tool, with a felt or plastic fibre tip. These disposable pens come in a variety of sizes (0.03-0.8mm) including fine, medium, large, bullet, and brush nibs as well as a wide range of colors giving the artist a precise drawing tool. Typically, however, you do need multiple pens to meet all of your inking needs.

Nibs or Fountain Pens

Nibs and fountain pens are a special drawing tool, typically made of steel that provides a more dynamic option to artists. This type of pen gives you much more control over the size of your lines by simply applying or releasing pressure meaning you can get really thin, or really thick lines from one tool. These are also extremely customizable as you can choose from a wide selection of finely crafted nibs, nib holders, and inks. They do require practice and fine control to fully utilize this tool, but are well worth the time and effort.

Brush Pen

Brush pens are a wonderful alternative to just using a brush for inking. Regular brushes need constant re-loading to replace the ink while brush pens hold the ink in the body of the pen. The added benefits of a brush is the control and speed you will have versus a fine liner or nib. Brush pens can create the thinnest of lines, or cover large areas in a single brush stroke, and you can transition between the two in a split second. Regular pens don’t have the same capacity or control, and, if you have the skill, you can completely replace all other inking tools with a single brush pen.

Types of Ink

Acrylic

Acrylic provides a highly pigmented, permanent, and waterproof ink that works similarly to watercolors until they are completely dry. Acrylic inks are made with pigments rather than a dye, which makes them lightfast as well. Acrylic inks can be transparent or opaque to fit your needs.

India

India ink, also known as Chinese Ink, is traditionally a black ink made of pigment derived by charring organic material and combining that with a medium. Such mediums include varnish or shellac which creates a lightfast and waterproof finish when dry. Brands have since expanded to include various colors other than just black.

Alcohol

Alcohol inks are fundamentally different from most other inks used in the art industry, primarily because Alcohol inks are made with a dye based ink instead of some sort of pigment. This means that alcohol inks are not lightfast and will ultimately fade with time.